Gill 223* sets up record chase for India
India absolutely strolled to the second successful chase of over 400 in ODI cricket in just 43.3 overs
India absolutely strolled to the second successful chase of over 400 in ODI cricket in just 43.3 overs
Scorer: Ranjith P & Chetan | Commentator: Abhimanyu Bose
10.45pm Well, what a ride that was! Truly, one of the more mind-boggling games of cricket I have watched. Well, that's all for today from us. Join us for the third ODI in New Chandigarh. On behalf of Abhijato, Chetan and Ranjith, this is Abhimanyu signing off.
10.35pm Time for the presentation ceremony.
Shubman Gill, who is also the POTM: "I think every part of my body is cramping right now. It was very hot in the afternoon. When it was 13 overs, it felt like we had fielded for 25 overs, the way they were batting. Great game. At the half time, 400 on the board, there was a a bit of pressure. No matter the pitch or ground, chasing 400 is not easy. Very proud of that performance and happy to stay unbeaten till the end. I break the game into small parts. First we had a target in the powerplay that if we get to 75-80 runs without losing wickets, it was good. We knew once the ball got a little old it would be good to bat on. I thought if were around 200-210 around the 25-mark over, we would be good but we were around 230-240. And after that the pressure was never on us, it was on them. I thought initially we didn't bowl that well in the powerplay, similar to the first game. They batted with a lot of freedom and batted quite well. At one time it looked like they might even get 420-430, so to be able to pull the game even by 20-30 runs was a bonus at the back end. [Changes in the next game?] Yeah, maybe. We ideally would want to give players who haven't had a chance a chance and we'll see what combination suits us."
Shai Hope: "Lot of positives I can take from it to be honest. Mainly from the batting side. As a batting group we have been consistently putting up competitive totals. But when you come up against some of the best batters, you can't let them have a start like that. Have to give credit where it's due, but if I had to be really critical, we had to be a little tighter with the ball. [On delaying Lawes] You don't want to give him the hardest overs. But that's not saying I don't think he'd do well. I just wanted to make sure he's comfortable. He bowled a really good spell and I am sure he'll keep going."
Nilesh: "The scorecard looks like both teams agreed bowling was an unnecessary administrative expense."
10.15pm West Indies came hard at India, with John Campbell getting a century in the 19th over, and Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo tonning up as well to take them to their first 400-plus ODI score. But Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma killed the game off effective in half the chase! India's highest successful Test chase saw them score 406 against West Indies, and now their highest ODI chase sees them score 406. You can talk all you want about the pitch, but at the end of the day, scoreboard pressure is a very real thing, which is why we have had many 400-plus totals in ODIs, but now just two successful chases, so you can't help but admire this electric effort from India's openers to not just chase down 406, but do it with utter ease. I know I am still in awe, and still processing what we just witnessed!
Rohit Sharma: "I'll keep that celebration for myself. Some things are just meant to be with you and it's not to be shared. So that was for me. The wicket was good, we just wanted to continue batting. We were not thinking about the scoreboard. We were trying to play the merit of the ball. We were trying to stitch a partnership. Gill was fantastic on the other end. He was in control of his batting. To see him stay not out was fantastic to see as well. It comes down to concentration. You have to keep telling yourself to not throw it away. I wanted to use my experience. We knew the pitch was good and we needed big runs from the top order and that's exactly what happened and we had a very good partnership at the top and it pretty much sealed the game for us. [Jadeja] wanted me to slide and jump and celebrate (laughs) but after fifty overs of fielding and batting so much, I was never going to do that (laughs more)."
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And was Abhishek Sharma's 30-ball hundred the fastest in a T20I?
The target of 406 India were faced with didn't seem to perturb the fans, who knew they would still win, and then it was just a matter of waiting for and celebrating the milestones
India absolutely strolled to the second successful chase of over 400 in ODI cricket in just 43.3 overs
The India captain scored his second ODI double-century and shared a 255-run opening partnership with Rohit Sharma, who scored a 75-ball 101 himself
The West Indies opener has returned to ODI cricket at a stage of his career when opportunities cannot be assumed to stretch indefinitely ahead